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Show DAILY Ballroom Murillo was born in Honolulu. Hawaii, and moved to Utah in just what he does. dance lessons at the encouragement of his parents, Alex and Robin, at the family-owned want to waste that talent,” he HERALD “Tl continue to do-it because 1991. Al age 6, he began taking it's a talent that I have. I don't from BI Finally! dance studio, Center said. Spending so muchtime train- re Per- ing and competing makes for We thought it would be becauseit's so much different butit's normalfor me.” He said-that sometimes he Murillo said there was some forming Arts Studios in Orem. a very unusual childhood and Alex Murillo said that he and youth, but Murillo isn't fazed thing different about his performance at this year’s compe- his wife have always enjoyed because he’s been doing this tition. U in years past. he ballroom dancing and they his wholelife along with other said hefelt more prepared and thought it would provide an op- membersofhis family portunity for their children to “I've been usedtoit, travelide x this t ree: around. ervous, but developdiscipline, self-esteem ing everywhere. My whole 1 think and greater cultural under- family does this,” he said. “It as more standing might seem outof the ordinary. ted to Zo out there and do my best.” he a good thing to have for the boys,” he said. “What girl the winners.were be- would not like a boy toask her ‘Murillo said to dance and know how to do hear the judgescorrectly be Although Jared Murillo began his dance career taking hip-hop lessons, he started competing in Latin dancing at ounced, does feel like he misses out op family time and the ex es other kids his age are nea ing — like school dances, for he just focused on trying it?” use not “vou kind of get used to winning But when theyfinally read his me. he said he wasthrilled instance. His father said that Jared told him, ~All | want to dothis yearis go to prom. If there's a girl out there who wants to go to prom, let me know.” age 8. He still continues to do hip-hop, tap and jazz “just to | ‘We didit. }Ve finalww title Performing five dances (the be a well-rounded dancer,” he said rounds, Murillo and Schwim- formedwith his brother Josh as cha, samba. rumba, pa (Those diverse dance skills Footsteps offaith sodoble and jive) during four came in handy whenhepermer competed for the NationHl n Ballroomtitle along ranging in age Alex Murillo said that because his son performsall over the world (and becausehe's so a principle dancerin the Disney TV movie “High School Musi- JOE CAVARETTA/Associated Press 7 other couples cal.” which premiered in Janu- good looking), he worries about from16to 18. him little bit ary.) Elaine Grenko. a part-time “He does havea lotof girls At age 14, Jared Murilloleft Utah and moved to Redlands, ballroom dance faculty member U and one of the organizs of the DanceSport Champi- I worry if he'll keep his wits Calif., to train with his partner and her parents, world-re- about him. But he has,”hesaid. nowned coaches Buddy and Laurie Schwimmer onship. said that couples come from all over the United States to compete in this event, the t one of its kind in the tion Nearly 1.400 dancers com- “He's a good Mormonboy. In fact, a reporter asked “Lcan't believe welet him do it. but he wanted to be a world Jared Murillo after he won the Jared Murillo spoke highly of his coaches, saying that they're on roll, he was not going to go on a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints like he had previouslystated DanceSport championship ear- champion,” his fathersaid peted in the championship and lier this monthif, nowthat he’s so.muchfun to work with. more than 11.000 were in the “They'rejust unbelievable. They understand and know iudience during the three-day event Grenko said this championship brings in the largest and most involved audience in the country for a ballroom dance howto have fun andstill be Murillo answered by saying you're doing whatyou like to do and... neverlike work.” that he wasstill planning to go on a mission whenheturns 19 and that dancing was secondary to what he was going to strict,” he said. “It’s morelike competition The competitors absolutely Along With the national Latin do. title theyjust won, Jared Murillo and Schwimmer are also the love coming to Provo because ons. Theyre so involvedin the com- ing into the field of medicine. In addition to training daily petition.” she said. “It’s not like with the Schwimmers, he also a concert where you sit and lives with them. Murillo said But for now. he will continue to train for and compete in several smaller competitions, atch and clapat the end. Yogi: with his partner took cheer for yourcouple. call theil number and encourage them.” me getting usedto. and he is headed to Blackpool, “We're pretty usedtoit now, but. before, we werelike brotherandsister. We'd getin fights Grenko said that she expects winning this title will do great things for Murillo and Schwim- England,in Mayto compete in the British Open DanceSport Championships, an internation- al ballroom dance competition — whathis father called “the about dumbstuff,” he said. met I sure they hopethis will take themforwardtofind more Mecca for ballroom dancers.” Anexciting youth Though Murillo has other Murillo spends his days do- plans besides. competing, he success. It gives you a lot of confidencein your partnership when you win a U.S. champion- ship.” shesaid Anearly start ing homework for his independent study high school courses and spendshis nights training, said dancing will always be a anywhere from two to four other job, I'll still keep dancing hours, He said his training regimen in mylife,” he said. “I think I'll part of hislife. “Even.thoughI'll have an- keep dancing probably intil is a lot of hard work, butthat's Thefourth of seven children. If nothing else, “American Geek. Idol” offers an uncommonly clear picture of the current tastes and desires of people Continued from B1 servativeartists has created outside the mediaelite. After what could be the most unhip surge on the popcharts since all, it’s voted on entirely by viewers. This has created, what Brownecalls, “a return of the silent majority” (Richard Nixon's term for the unheard, beforethe rise of rock ‘n’roll. it can gccountforthis? “With thie Republicans controlling both houses of Con- conservative masses). This surge in the squeaky gregs, this is the Eisenhower-era revi ,” says Rolling Stone senioreditor David Fricke. “It’s" clean mayalso comein flinching reactionto the flagrant sexiness that pervadesthe rest ostrich time, where people are looking for comfort rather than of pop culture.In that Manilow functions as a kind of challengein their art. It's a lot He said that, besides a mission, he plans on goingto college andis thinking ‘about go- world and U.S. swing champi- we really do have the best crowdin the United States Barry Manilow recently hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart with his “Greatest Songs of the ‘50s”CD. contact him, and sometimes I'm gone.” anti-Beyonce — asdo the freshfacedsingers of “High School easiertolisten to Barry Manilow murder whatare actually good songs from the ‘50s than to consider what(left-leaning Musical” and “AmericanIdol.” “With Britney Spears, the tabloids and breasts ev where, where do you go?” asks Schoemer. “To bring back the songwriter) Steve Earle has to say.” Author Karen Schoemerhas written a new memoir,“Great Pretenders,” which traces her ownjourney from rock-critic hipster to Pat Boone apologist. Sheseesa direct connection be- nonsex ofthe ‘50sis almost a weird breath of fresh air.” Theuptick in earnest geek chic mayalso provide a respite from the snarkiness otherwise rampantin the culture.In that tween Connie Francis crooning featherweight hits like “Who's light, buying a Manilowor Gro- Sorry Now?”in the ‘50s and ban CDcan be seenas a kind of defiantact. It even functions as “(They're) both completely a response to the more violent or sexed-up expressions ofcutting-edge formslike hip hop. whatManilow is doing now. irony free,” notes Schoemer. Toauthorandpop-culture critic David Browne, today’s political conservatism plays out in greater social conformity. “It began’with the start of the Iraq war,”he explains, “with the presidentsaying things Thetrendalsoreflects a simple market reality: namely, the recent dramatic increase in tweens downpading music. That accounted for muchof the early success of “High School like, “You're with us or you're against us.’ Those whoare a =e! Musical.” Fricke even seesa reaction- little quirky, strangeor out of step are considered freakier becemensme, ary sensibility invading the once-revolutionary world of punk rock, viaits castrated co- than ever. Andthatfilters down hort known as “emo.” from the governmentto the singers on ‘American Idol.”” SCERA CENTER FOR THE ART “Originally, punk rock was outwardly aggressive,” he explains. “Emois all about ‘Why can't I get a date for prom night?’ That's as ‘50s as the Plat- ters. Of course,the latest con- servative waveis hardlythe first. Back in the '70s, the “soft rock” movementrosein reac- tion to psychedelic hard rock and glam. It fostered Velveeta acts like America and Loggins & Messina. The ‘90s, for their part. sawa “correction” to grunge’s nihilism in the form of a 10 million-CD-selling, smi- ley-faced band: Hootie and the Blowfish. “It goesin 10-yearcycles,” explains Sean Ross, who analyzes radio trends for Edison Research. “Oneof the things that’s happening nowis that radiois in transition. So everything is up for grabs. Also, youhave a veryslow market out there — ldbels aren't put- ting out so manyrecords. And, because they're looking at the costs of promoting records, they're putting out fewerleft- field ones.” But before we consign innovation and edgeto the dustbin of history, we'd dowell to re- memberthat the more extreme a reactionary movement be- comes,the morelikely. it is to seedits own reaction. “Back in November of 1962, whoin their right mind would havepredicted that the Beatles would blowupin this country 18 months later?” asks Fricke. “Nirvana also caught everyone withtheir pants down. 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